Yesterday morning I made an appointment with the woman who owns a local gift shop to take my cards and embroidery hoops in and show them to her, hoping she would want to sell them. I spent the next couple of hours in a mild hysteria trying to get my little collection ready. My mom helped me wrap them in plastic covers, I made a business card, and I put them all in a little basket with tissue paper.
I could tell she didn't like them as soon as she took them out. She was very nice about it, but it turns out she already has a card supplier that makes way more professional printed stuff than I do. I walked back to my car feeling dejected, and quite silly actually, my little basket hidden under my arm.
I felt sorry for myself for about a minute, and then I brushed it off. I reminded myself that a little rejection is good for the soul, that life doesn't always hand you what you want on the first try, and that bumps in the road build character and test your spirit. So one person didn't like my art. No big deal.
I found this quote online last night, and it made me smile. It is from the first publisher to reject The Diary of Anne Frank. He said,
‘The girl doesn’t, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the “curiosity” level.’
Here's to not making it the first time around!
I love your attitude. It isn't easy to think rationally about rejection sometimes. It hurts to feel like you're not loved or accepted by everybody. But, really, we all know that everyone's tastes and interests are different, so we can't expect to be wonderful in everyone's eyes.
ReplyDeleteAt least that's what I tell myself when I'm breathing through my sadness about rejection. "It's all good." Right?
I respect your perseverance. :)